This is one in a series of documents that follow my UCLA winter 2010 course titled Cradle to Cradle: Closed Loop Systems. This interdisciplinary course contributes to the school's Certificate of Global Sustainability.

1. UCLAx class 9 1
UCLAx Cradle to Cradle: class 9
For our ninth class we return to our normal class room, but at an alternate time and date.
This week was a make-up class required due to a scheduling conflict. We continued
discussion of an earlier topic - waste reduction - and transitioned to resource preservation.
In previous classes where waste was discussed, we focused only on municipal solid waste
(MSW). What we see at the curb in trash cans, in dumpsters, in garbage trucks, and
eventually in landfills is just the tip of a very large waste iceberg. MSW represents just one
percent of all waste produced in the United States. The other 99% is waste produced that
does not go through the MSW system and does not end up in municipal landfills. 57% is
classified as waste produced by industrial processes. The average consumer product
generates many more times as much waste as finished product. Another 40% is classified
as special and usually includes hospital or medical waste, dangerous or possibly toxic
chemicals, or other waste that requires special treatment as part of its disposal. And a final
2% is classified as hazardous and is usually military, government, or highly controlled, such
as nuclear waste. What’s not typically counted, yet represents an even larger amount, is
agricultural waste. It’s not usually included in waste calculations because it’s difficult to
measure and usually stays on the property where it was generated.
Over the past two hundred years, industrialized processes have become very efficient, yet
continue to produce a significantly larger percentage of waste material in comparison to
finished product. One-size-fits-all and other monoculture strategies rely on brute force to
produce the greatest amount of mass consumable product following universal design
strategies at the lowest possible cost. McDonough and Braungart give an excellent
example of this in their book Cradle to Cradle by describing how “major soap
manufacturers design one detergent for all parts of the United States or Europe, even
though water qualities and community needs differ.” Some regions of the country have
hard water, requiring more detergent to work. Other regions have soft water, requiring less
detergent to work. The product is designed to work under any condition in any location.
Therefore, waste is inevitable. In addition to reconceptualizing the idea of what constitutes
waste, cradle to cradle strategies need to rethink the use of raw materials and preserve
natural resources by using less and developing selection strategies that reduce waste.
Within the building materials world, there are new products being introduced every month.
Some of them are taking a serious look at resource management. Designers of all kinds,
whether they be architects, interior designers, industrial designers, graphic designers, set
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2. UCLAx class 9 2
designers, product designers, or any other need to look at materials, resources, and their
sourcing prior to or in conjunction with design. I can say that in the architectural world, too
much design is done before materials are considered. Like the detergent example, this
inevitably leads to inefficiency and waste.
We’ve developed our own material selection criteria and group products in six categories -
those with a high percentage of recycled content (with a grading scale of A, B, and C for
both post-consumer and post-industrial content), those that can be reused or repurposed,
those made with rapidly renewable resources (with a grading of renewable, rapidly-
renewable, and hyper-renewable based on time to reach biological maturity), those that
contribute to the reduced use of virgin sources, those that rethink technology, and those
that are locally cultivated. We’ve posted about this subject several times (read here) so we
won’t go into detail with this post.
There is a rapidly growing collection of excellent sustainable materials. The class and I had
a great time looking at and discussing these potential options. As the market begins to
prove its viability, new companies are entering the marketplace and older established
companies are starting to change their existing practices. Significant movement is
underway, even while the world economy is struggling. Companies old and new are
seeking new processes and new options for raw materials that reduces waste produced
before the product reaches the consumer. Which is where most of the waste is generated.
I'm very optimistic that progress is being made and we're moving in the right direction.
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